France’s rail system SNCF will soon be delivering medical care as well as passengers and freight to 300 of its stations in areas listed as ‘medical deserts’ where there’s a shortage of healthcare providers.
The tele-medicine stations will have the facilities near station entrances or inside, and will have at least a nurse on hand to meet with patients; doctors will be available online at the facility if needed. Initially, the plan is for cubicles about 15 meters square.
A “medical solutions” company, Loxamed, has been signed on to set up the spaces and operate them for SNCF. Loxamed is working with health worker unions to recruit self-employed nurses and doctors to work in the system.
The areas to be served, mostly in rural areas, amount to about a third of the country geographically, although a much lower percentage by population. The full 300 units should be operational by 2028.
